I See You

The movie in itself was similar to A Lot Like Heaven and at first seems rather shallow, but later on as the plot progresses, the movie is a little easier to get into as long as you approach the movie with an open mind and not one of "because Arjun Rampal is in it, it's going to be great", which is what a lot of people think. The songs are really good especially Sach Hui by Sunidhi Chauhan and Halo Halo which is instantly catchy which Sach Hui is a song you can sit back and listen to. The movie is also supported by Kirron Kher which has acted in some really good movies in the past such as Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and Hum Tum as well as Mangal Pandey: The Rising, all of which are really good movies. This is the debut movie of the main actress and while most might not have an instant attraction to her, by the end of the movie you will almost fall in love with her. The strikes at comedy might have been slightly overdone but provided a sense of variety to the entire movie that made it enjoyable to my family and I. Definitely something worth watching.

"I See You" is a remake of the Reese Witherspoon/Mark Ruffalo film "Just Like Heaven". While the film does have its flaws, it is not by any means the worst film to come out of Bollywood that has been 'inspired' by a Hollywood film. Arjun Rampal stars as Raj Jaiswal, the host of the successful NRI show British Raj. He moves into a new apartment but soon finds that it is being haunted by a ghost, Shivani Dutt (Vipasha Agarwal) that only he can see, the catch is, she's not a ghost but a doctor who is in a coma after an accident. His friends ponder his senility, but his close friend Akshay (Chunky Pandey) supports him as much as he can. Shivani informs him of a plot that involves doctors stealing and harvesting organs of healthy patients at her hospital.

The story has it's flaws, for one, the added story line of the harvesting of organs isn't really needed and doesn't contribute to the story being a romantic comedy. It actually does nothing for the story overall. If they had stuck with the original story, the film would have worked more. At certain points, it is unclear which story line is the central plot.

The location and setting is a tired one. The film is set in London but it could have been pulled off in Mumbai or any other Indian city. There is little charm in the way London has been used and the location never fully comes alive.

The acting is far from perfect and very flawed. Arjun Rampal manages to carry the film but because the film is heavily flawed and unnecessary, his character tends to replicate that fact. He has persona and charisma, but not enough to make this film work or enough to make it a pleasurable experience. Vipasha Agarwal sleepwalks through her performance and isn't worth a second glance. It is because of her that the film suffers, there is little chemistry between her and Rampal even though he tries his hardest to make it work. The supporting co-stars don't do much but the stand outs are Chunky Pandey as Akshay who is Raj Jaiswal's best friend and Michael Maloney who plays Inspector John Smith, the English Hindi speaking detective investigating Shivani's accident.

The writing is un-inspired and the direction is useless. This film joins the ranks of other cheap knock offs that help hold back Indian (or rather Bollywood) cinema rather than allow it to flourish. The high point for some will be the ten second cameo's by Shahrukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan, but at the end of the day, it is their cameos that are selling the film. Not the story, not the writing, not the director and certainly not the actors.

4/10: "Just Like Heaven" is far superior over this tripe, even though it is quite a mediocre film itself.

I see you is an enjoyable film. Arjun stars in this supernatural story,and as a lead actor,it's a remarkable film of his compared to the others.

Raj Jaswant,bachelor and a famous TV channel host in London,comes across a lady who says she can be seen.heard and felt only by him.Initially not believing it,Raj soon discovers it to be true.He then goes along with her to find out how she has attained this ghostly state,and how he can help her,only to learn that thongs are more complex than what appears to be, and she soon falls in love with him.

The concept,authentic or borrowed(From Mohanlal's "Vismayathumbaththu" maybe) is good.Music is beat tapping,choreography is remarkable.Arjun does a fair job.That's why I've given 8 on 10.

The sad thing is this film would've probably done better if it had released in the 90's.Such concept is not what people want now I believe. Anyway,it's a near 2 hour entertainer.

And don't look for logic.It's a supernatural kind of film,not practical.Just see and enjoy!

Arjun Rampal is endearing and quite human though he has difficulty emoting both while lip-syncing and in scenes with Vipasha, who is has a lovely face but anorexic body. Her acting wasn't bad though not outstanding. Chunkey is annoying and unsympathetic as a character and we didn't find him funny. Michael Maloney steals the show as a Hidi-speaking cop. The actors aren't given much to work with considering the plot in which not much happens and there is no clear goal. Nevertheless, we never felt like not watching the film and it was a decent experience overall.

The songs are great, however and we listen to them all the time. "Subah subah" is guaranteed to wake you up and is energetic. "Sach Hui" is dreamy and the celebrated Sunidhi who sings it conveys a powerful sense of longing that shows why she is a great singer. "Halo Halo" is quite danceable and we use it to work out. "Kehna Hai Jo" is a toe-tapper.

I have watched over 600 movies in my life so far, but few have taken me back to the time when I was a kid; when I would appreciate movies without taking them apart scene by scene as I watched. Well, that is my advice to you; if you decide to watch this movie, take the over-logical critic out of you and ask him/her to stand out of the theater while you watch this movie. And yes, take the kids in your family with you. I see few films made these days which can be watched with kids around and this movie is a welcome exception. I don't know whether this movie will be a "guerenteed" flop; I know I liked it. This movie is a breath of fresh air. Illogical, yes but then again, when has life followed logic ?? P.S. Yes, the songs are good. But I would have liked the movie even without the songs.